Of course getting fired up for your arm workout is one thing, finding the right program to turn toothpicks into pythons is another thing entirely. Of course that is what this article was written for; to provide you with some great arm workouts for bigger guns!

Fire up the Canons!

This arm workout is brutal and intense. You will be pumped up and exhausted when you are done. For any exercise with more than 2 sets, the first set is a warm up and the other sets are work sets completed to exhaustion.

• Standing Dumbbell Curls – 3 sets of 8 reps – Use an alternating curl motion and perform drop sets on the last 2 sets aiming for 6-8 reps each drop.
• Barbell 21′s – 2 sets of 7x7x7 reps – Perform barbell curls using the 21 method. The first 7 reps are from starting to halfway up, the second 7 reps are from halfway up to full contraction, and you finish with 7 full reps for 21 total reps in each set.
• Dumbbell Concentration Curls – 1 set of 8 to 12 reps – Why only one set? Because you will do slow negatives of at least 4 seconds on each repetition.
• 1 1/2 Rep Tricep Rope Pushdowns – 3 sets of 8 reps – Grab a rope handle for these. Each rep is done full, then going half way up before locking back out again. This 1 1/2 style is a great burner!
• Incline Lying Triceps Extensions – 3 sets of 8 reps – Use a flat bar and try and not crush your skull. The incline bench is a better angle than flat with a much better stretch.
• Bench Dips – 3 sets of 12 reps – If bodyweight alone isn’t enough, add weight plates to your lap. These are a great finisher.

Ideally you can do arms on a single day or split this routine up. The focus is on getting a serious pump along with attacking from multiple angles.

Classic Mass Builder

This routine is a classic that goes back to the 1970′s. It was all about volume. For each exercise listed go to failure on the last 2 sets.

• Standing barbell curls – 3 sets of 10 reps
• Incline Dumbbell Curls – 3 sets of 8 reps
• Preacher Bench Curls – 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
• Concentration Curls – 2 sets of 8 to 10 reps OR Barbell Curl 21′s – 2 sets of 21 reps
• Pushdowns – 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
• Skull Crusher – 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
• Standing French Press – 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps

There you have it; a pair of arm workouts that you can utilize to crank up the size of those guns. Give each one a try and see which feels better, then start grinding it out!

So does it really work? What can you expect?

Sadly when you do a Google search on P90X results, or any of those types of programs that rely on DVD sales to make a buck, you end up running across a lot of “review sites” that always talk it up. The reason being is that these reviews of P90X and its results are just part of the sales ploy; sad but true.

The Real P90X Review

Here is the honest is answer…it can work…or it might not.

P90X is just like any other program; you get out of it what you put into it. Can you achieve the results they claim? Some people probably will, but plenty of others won’t.

What you really get with this program is a wide range of workouts. The 12 styles of workouts are interesting and hard. The variety alone makes this is decent buy. That is also what they consider their key to getting results, the constant change to keep your body guessing.

You also get diet information with a complete meal plan. This isn’t just a quick overview, but actually fairly detailed and uses standard formulas to help with weight loss while ensuring proper nutrition for muscle maintenance and slight growth.

The bottom line is that this is a well thought out and complete program. The varieties of exercises you learn, which includes body part targeting, yoga and more, is excellent and worth the price. If you aren’t at a moderate or advanced level of knowledge about fitness, you will certainly learn a lot. They provide the framework and direction, sort of like hiring a personal trainer.

It compares to plenty of other programs out there, but the reality is that you will get out of it what you put in. If you get plenty of rest, follow the workouts, eat the way they want and add in some supplements you should start seeing your body firm and tone up in a few weeks and some definition appearing a few weeks after that. It’s not necessarily the program that will be the key to success.

The Real Keys to Success

You can get great results with P90X. You can get great results with other programs as well…if you work hard, are consistent and are in it for the long term. Those are truly the three keys to being successful in any program. Unlike an actual personal trainer or class, there won’t be anyone providing the motivation.

• Hard Work – Obviously to get great P90X results you have to work hard. The program can be a real killer, which is good because getting ripped is hard. You will never get great results from a program by giving subpar effort. Some people who have complained about P90X were not always giving it 100%, following the workout program but not the diet for example.
• Consistency – If you want to look great it takes a lot of consistent work. You can’t workout hard for a week, take two weeks off, and then workout a few days and expect great things.
• Marathon – Fitness should be looked at as a lifestyle adjustment because it is truly something you pursue long term. Far too many people try for short fixes to look good for summer or shape up for an event. Even if you are using a program like P90X to reach a short term goal, it should be approached with the mentality of staying fit for the rest of your life.

So there you go; you can get good results or even great ones from P90X. It is a good program and can work; if you are willing to do the work that is. Of course keep in mind results will vary. The closer you are to being ripped when you start will dictate how long it will take to achieve the promised results. Your body can only lose fat at a certain rate along with gaining muscle.

P90X Results, What Can I Expect?

Sometimes it is hard to figure out whether or not a workout program will be effective or not. Honestly aren’t most of us skeptics these days? We have heard it before; if it sounds too good then it probably is. Yet you see those commercials for programs like P90X and you see the testimonials with those incredible P90X results and think, “Yeah I could use that.”

So does it really work? What can you expect?

Sadly when you do a Google search on P90X results, or any of those types of programs that rely on DVD sales to make a buck, you end up running across a lot of “review sites” that always talk it up. The reason being is that these reviews of P90X and its results are just part of the sales ploy; sad but true.

The Real P90X Review

Here is the honest is answer…it can work…or it might not.

P90X is just like any other program; you get out of it what you put into it. Can you achieve the results they claim? Some people probably will, but plenty of others won’t.

What you really get with this program is a wide range of workouts. The 12 styles of workouts are interesting and hard. The variety alone makes this is decent buy. That is also what they consider their key to getting results, the constant change to keep your body guessing.

You also get diet information with a complete meal plan. This isn’t just a quick overview, but actually fairly detailed and uses standard formulas to help with weight loss while ensuring proper nutrition for muscle maintenance and slight growth.

The bottom line is that this is a well thought out and complete program. The varieties of exercises you learn, which includes body part targeting, yoga and more, is excellent and worth the price. If you aren’t at a moderate or advanced level of knowledge about fitness, you will certainly learn a lot. They provide the framework and direction, sort of like hiring a personal trainer.

It compares to plenty of other programs out there, but the reality is that you will get out of it what you put in. If you get plenty of rest, follow the workouts, eat the way they want and add in some supplements you should start seeing your body firm and tone up in a few weeks and some definition appearing a few weeks after that. It’s not necessarily the program that will be the key to success.

The Real Keys to Success

You can get great results with P90X. You can get great results with other programs as well…if you work hard, are consistent and are in it for the long term. Those are truly the three keys to being successful in any program. Unlike an actual personal trainer or class, there won’t be anyone providing the motivation.

• Hard Work – Obviously to get great P90X results you have to work hard. The program can be a real killer, which is good because getting ripped is hard. You will never get great results from a program by giving subpar effort. Some people who have complained about P90X were not always giving it 100%, following the workout program but not the diet for example.
• Consistency – If you want to look great it takes a lot of consistent work. You can’t workout hard for a week, take two weeks off, and then workout a few days and expect great things.
• Marathon – Fitness should be looked at as a lifestyle adjustment because it is truly something you pursue long term. Far too many people try for short fixes to look good for summer or shape up for an event. Even if you are using a program like P90X to reach a short term goal, it should be approached with the mentality of staying fit for the rest of your life.

So there you go; you can get good results or even great ones from P90X. It is a good program and can work; if you are willing to do the work that is. Of course keep in mind results will vary. The closer you are to being ripped when you start will dictate how long it will take to achieve the promised results. Your body can only lose fat at a certain rate along with gaining muscle.

Let’s break it down and see if we can find the true answer!

The Bench Press

Most guys start on the bench press when they begin a lifting program. I am not sure if it is in our genes or what, but there is a natural draw to test your strength and then compare yourself against other men. That seems to be more primal and ego driven, as a way to determine who the king of the pack is.

Because of that when you start talking about pull ups vs. bench press for mass; many guys will probably go with bench press because it is more of their bread and butter. But is it truly a better mass builder?

If you do the exercise with good form it is an excellent mass builder. Primarily it works the chest, triceps and front deltoids. You also get some side and rear deltoid interaction and serratus muscles from stabilization along with just a little bit from the back. That is a decent number of muscles to engage and that is why the bench press is commonly listed as one of the top mass building compound exercises.

The Pull Up

Pull ups can be hard, depending on your body weight and strength when you start. Heavier guys tend to shy away from them because it is embarrassing how few you can do. Skinny guys usually have no problem, the lucky bastards. But, this exercise should be a staple of any back routine.

The pull up is almost a perfect exercise when executed properly. With a slight arch in your back and pulling to the upper chest you will contract your lats hard. Plus you get a nice bit of work on the traps, which run from the neck down the middle of the back. The read delts get some serious work along with moderate work on the side delts and even a little to the front. The forearms and biceps get a fantastic workout during the exercise.

Plus, one aspect that is often overlooked, you get a fantastic stretch. This exercise helps stretch the back, chest, and shoulders out. Stretching is important to growth and muscle size along with flexibility.

Head to Head

So between the bench press and pull up, which is the better mass builder? You can do weighted pull ups after mastering bodyweight, so really there is no difference there. What it has to get down to in regards to mass, is which exercise will have the most pronounced effect on the body.

For pull ups vs. bench press we are basically talking about the back versus the chest. The shoulders get fairly equal work, although with different emphasis. The triceps are larger than the biceps, but when you add the forearm work in from pull ups that makes it a fairly even comparison as well. So we are left with the chest and the back.

Now while the chest is more visibly prominent due to location, the back muscles are much bigger. The back and quads are the largest muscle groups in the body, which is one reason why people who truly want to gain mass focus attention on compound lifts for these muscles. It is a fact that if you train the biggest muscles and make them grow, there will be a trickle down affect for the rest of the body.

So with that in mind, the results of doing pull ups vs. the bench press for mass, if you had to pick only one it has to be pull-ups.

On top of that, a lot of the female bodybuilding supplement blogs seem to focus excessively on diet products, which of course is good if that is what you are looking for.

So does it really matter?

Different Gender equals Different Focus

For the most part the biggest difference between men and women when it comes to supplements is overall goals. Most guys want to add muscle mass and strength first and slim down second. On the flip side, most women want to lose weight (or fat) first and tone up second.

So obviously it makes sense t read a blog that fits your needs. If you want to get the breakdown of all the best diet pills and such the more than likely the female bodybuilding supplement blogs are going to showcase that type of post more often, in some cases repetitively so without adding value in other areas.

However, for the most part the goals of both genders are the same; better overall health.

By in large the formula for better health, which includes weight loss and muscle gain, is fairly equal regardless of sex. From a nutrition and supplement standpoint it is a lot closer that people seem to think with the big difference really occurring in the realm of training.

The Difference in Supplements

The basics are actually pretty equal for both men and women. You need quality mutli-vitamins, good sources of protein (like whey), your CLA supplements or some version of a supplement to balance omegas out, pre-workout fuel, post workout recovery, and then various minerals and amino acids.

Those are basic things everyone should use that will help shift body composition to a leaner, muscular look (with the degree of muscularity often determined by effort and time in the gym, not at the store).

The biggest thing about female supplementation compared to male is that women need more calcium, folate, B vitamins, coenzyme Q10, vitamin D, and lutein. Then you need to avoid standard Creatine (which they do make a female specific version that digests better) and anything that says it will boost testosterone while decreasing or inhibiting estrogen.

So really, between male and female bodybuilding supplement blogs you shouldn’t find too much of a difference other than the general goals. Of course as many blogs are geared towards selling products as well, you can expect that many female only blogs will just try and push certain female branded products without giving other products as much press, even if they are good or better.

As with everything you read online, the key is to use your best judgment. Some information is provided to benefit all readers without selling anything. Other people are really just pushing a particular product. Take this blog for example. Yes this is a supplement site and we sell supplements. But we sell just about everything. Because of that we try and focus on providing information that will help people make an informed decision on what is best for them rather than direct people to one particular product.

This article will focus on the last item of that list; supplements for beginners.

There is a lot of stuff out on the market, but at the beginning stages you don’t really need all of it. It will take time for your body to adapt to the training and nutritional program so going overboard with a shopping cart full of products isn’t the best approach. It is like a new golfer…you don’t buy the most expensive clubs until you learn how to swing and find the clubs that actually fit you, which might not be the most expensive ones.

Top 5 Supplements for Beginners

• Multivitamin - By this we don’t mean a Flinstones daily, but an actual high quality multivitamin like the Opti-Men by Optimum nutrition. Vitamins at this level have an excess of vitamins and minerals along with amino acid blends, enzyme blends and so much more. They are the perfect addition to a changing diet because it ensures that you have everything you need and then some for change and growth.
• Whey Protein – One of hardest things for people to do is increase protein intake; yet this is critical when trying to gain muscle size. The easiest way to accomplish this is by supplementing with whey protein shakes for a high quality boost to protein (amino acids) in your system. A shake with breakfast and right after your workouts will help boost muscle repair and growth.
• Creatine - This is hands down one of the best supplements for beginners up to advanced lifters. You get bigger, stronger, and work out harder because of the boosted ATP production in your body. Ideally you want to ingest 3-5 grams about 30 minutes before a workout and right after to fill up and replenish stores. If you find a good pre-workout drink that combines Creatine with other items then that is fine too.
• Fish Oils - Most people in the U.S. have an imbalance in their omega levels,  ith too much of the bad and not enough of the good. Adding a fish oil supplement can help balance you out which aids in fat loss. Additionally it is an anti-inflammatory. When you work out your joints take a beating so having natural anti-inflammatory in your system helps alleviate the need for ibuprofen.
• Carbohydrate Drink – Your body needs good energy before your workout and after it. You need energy to work out and then energy to recover. Liquid form allows fast absorption which in turn means no waiting for your body to start repairs. A good carb drink like TwinLab‘s UltraFuel certainly fits the bill.

Supplements don’t have to be complex. For beginners, supplements are fairly basic. You only need to focus on the primary building blocks everyone uses. From there as your experience increases and your body develops and hits plateaus, adding more supplements will make more sense.

Intrigued? You should be!

What are Burpees?

Basically a burpee is a squat thrust. Depending on your age, you might have done these in P.E. class. From a standing position you squat down low. Then you place your hands on the ground in front of your and kick your feet back into a push-up position. You then reverse the motion back to the standing position.

Often a burpee is done in a steady rhythm with each movement taking about the same amount of time. Think of counting, “One…two…three…four” as you do the motion.

Now that is just a basic burpee movement. There are many variations of this basic move with various levels of difficulty and impact.

• Burpee Push Up – Add a push-up before getting back up.
• Jump Up Burpees – At the end of the movement, instead of just standing up, jump straight up as high as you can.
• Long Jump Burpee – Same as above but jump forward. Other jump variations include jumping onto a box, jumping over something and jumping to the side.
• Single Arm Burpee – This takes a lot of balance. You can do single leg burpees too.
• Dumbbell Burpee – Hold dumbbells in your hands while doing it.

There are more, but you get the idea…really anything to make it harder.

Why do them?

Really this is one of the ultimate exercises anyone can have in their bag of tricks. People include them in CrossFit training, military training and even sport training like for football because they work.

• Strength – This is a full body strength exercise that works almost everything accept the biceps and calves. However, if you mix it up with pull-up burpees and jumping versions you can hit everything.
• Burns Calories – Intense full body activities are some of the best things you can do to burn fat. They actually can burn up to 50% more fat compared to typical weight training.
• Conditioning – This is what we call “functional” training where you are utilizing muscles in conjunction in a functional manner. This exercise helps build strength, endurance, and conditioning along with coordination which translates to a ton of functional activities.
• Easy – This is free and portable plus not overly complex.

Ready for a burpee workout? Try this common ladder style routine:

Burpee Ladder

Set of 10 burpees – rest 1 minute

Set of 9 burpees – rest 1 minute

Set of 8 burpees – rest 1 minute

…continue down to 1.

The workout will leave you exhausted in 20 minutes having worked most of your muscles and kicked your metabolism into high gear.

100 Burpees

Try and do 100 burpees as fast as you can, resting as you need to. Good luck finishing before 20 minutes are up!

Related articles

• One Best Exercise Anyone Can Do – To Lose Weight, Gain Muscles, and Move Better

Before we jump into the “how”, first let us discuss what we mean with the term “flat abs“. Typically flat abs are equated to a tight stomach, which isn’t necessarily the same thing as a having the washboard, or ripped, look. There might be some muscularity, but the general idea is to keep the abs and entire stomach area as small as possible while being tone. A lot of women have flat abs as a primary goal when working out.

So how do you get that particular look? Here are a few great ways you can try to help shape up while slimming down:

Five Tips for Flat Abs

• Add full body movements to your routine – While many people perform specialized
  abdominal exercises to bring out size and definition in a small area, full body exercises stress the entire core as it supports you. This way you work things from all sides. Pilates is one great way to do this or a cardio kickboxing program. For those people who life free weights, exercises like kettlebell swings, squats and clean and presses with higher reps can give you the same results in the pursuit of flat abs.
• Skip crunches – Instead of the standard crunches, leg raises, and other short motion exercises, try and focus on a core routine that uses a lot of plank motions and stability ball movements. Ideally you want to hit the entire core from front to back and side to side. Make sure you are using higher reps or even 30 to 60 second intervals for sets.
• Focus on posture – When you slouch your body or have bad alignment with your back and hips then your stomach will suffer. While most of this is a visual effect, that bad posture leads to regular relaxation in the core and abdominal muscles. One of the best ways to work on posture is through yoga. Another is to just be mindful and sit and stand more at attention with the stomach held in and slightly tense until it becomes a secondary action. If you are at work try and remember to fix your posture and tense up a bit every 30 minutes.
• Eat less – To get a set of truly flat abs you need to eliminate those layers of belly fat that stubbornly hang on. Eating less, particularly the excess sugars and carbs that help us gain the fat, is an important step to removing it.  Of course some cardio wouldn’t hurt either to speed the process up! You might even try an appetite suppressant that helps boost your metabolism to burn more calories during the day.
• Be patient – Tightening the stomach up and getting flat abs is a combination of multiple items and it takes time. Being patient is important rather than getting frustrated and jumping on a fad diet that promises results. On that same note, be realistic. As long as you are making steady progress then you should be happy.

Why is that?

Well, much like other body parts, people can get a great workout in a lot of different ways. Looking at bodybuilders and their training regimes helps shed some light as many people use similar training methods and exercise, but not always the exact same thing. Yet you can line people up side-by-side and see that they all look amazing.

So how can you pick the best exercises for abs? Well in this case we can provide some of the ones that activate the most sections of the muscle and then provide some tips of how to make them and other abdominal exercises as effective as possible. Because even if you use the best exercises for abs, if you do them wrong then they won’t be very effective!

The Top 5 Ab Exercises

1. Swiss Ball Rollups – This is arguably the best exercise out there because it combines
   

   English: an exercise of abs (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

   stability and a crunching motion that keys on the lower abs. Assume a pushup position with your shins on a Swiss Ball. Start by using your legs to draw the ball towards you by doing an inverted leg lift and rolling the ball down towards your toes. Pause then reverse the motion but keeping going back until you get your knees on the ball. You can count reps or just do 30-60 seconds of them.

2. Standard Planks – Standard planks are simple and can be done anywhere yet are insanely effective. Plus after they become too easy you can make adjustments such as planking with your feet on a Swiss Ball or feet on a Swiss Ball and hands on a medicine ball. The slight motion and balance with make your muscle work hard to keep you stable. Then there are one-arm and one-leg variations.
3. Side Planks – This is the best exercise to work the sides of your body. Unless your goal is to add muscle you should skip weight side crunch movements. A side plank will effectively work the length on the body as you try and support and hold the spine straight.
4. Vertical Leg Crunches – This one has to be included in the best exercises for abs because it is a killer! Lie on your back with feet straight up in the hair. With hands supporting the neck crunch up like you are trying to touch your chest to your toes.
5. Cross Crunch – From your back stretch out your arms and legs to form and “X”. Now bring your right leg and left arm up at the same time and touch your toe. Lower to the starting position and try the other side. This hits everything!

Ab Tips

The best exercises for abs only work when done properly so follow these simple tips for any ab exercise:

• Exhale on the contraction for a tighter contraction.
• Go slow and stay in control. You want to keep tension on the muscle as long as possible.
• Be consistent by working the abdominals first and not last so you have the most energy.

That is probably a bit extreme but some people seem willing to sell their soul to learn how to work out lower abs, or at least it seems that way based on those crazy products sold late at night on infomercials. Is there some insane product or secret out there that will help transform you from zero to hero?

Probably not, other than expensive surgery that is. Really what it takes is a solid plan, some hard work, and a little consistency; that is the secret. So first things first, let’s look at the plan of how to work out lower abs!

The Routine

Working the upper abs is fairly easy. But if you want to know how to work out the lower abs, it all starts on your back. Try using these exercises that target the lower abs and will still work the rest of the abdominal wall:

• Reverse Crunches – Lie flat on your back. With knees slightly bent and legs in the air, crunch the knees towards the chest slowly while lifting your butt off the mat. Pause as you exhale, then lower.
• Plank – This is fairly standard. Assume a push-up position or support your weight with your forearms. Tense and hold the abdominals and maintain a flat body position.
• Leg Lifts – Lie flat on your back (sense a theme yet?). Bend the knees slightly and then raise your heels off the ground slowly until your feet point straight up. You can tuck your hands under your buttocks for support. Then lower slowly. The key is to feel the abs and not just use the hip muscles.
• Standing Toe-Kicks – Stand with arms held out to the side. Kick your right leg straight up in front of you while twisting your upper body right. At the top of the kick tap your left hand to your right toe. Then alternate between each side.
• Bicycle Crunches – Lie flat on your back with hands on either side of your head and knees bent at a 45 degree angle. Slowly cycle your legs like riding a bike. Then twist and crunch your upper body so that the opposite elbow touches a knee (left elbow to right knee, then cycle right elbow to left knee).

For this routine it works great to do a circuit. Perform each exercise for 30 seconds with little to no rest between each one. Then rest 60 seconds and repeat the circuit one or two times. If it gets too easy then increase the time for each set to 45 seconds or 60 seconds.

Along with the right routine that shows you how to work out the lower abs, you need to spend some time on diet and cardio. Those lower abs won’t appear until you trim the fat. That means following a tight diet with little or no excess calories and then also spending some time doing some form of fat burning cardiovascular exercise.

When you combine diet, cardio and that great abdominal routine together you have found out how to work out the lower abs to get the results you want.

That “V” is shaped between the oblique muscles and some people think they are more of the abdominals because they can make a six-pack look like an eight-pack. But the v cut abs aren’t pronounced by using specialized workouts, they are earned through leanness.

They only way you will be able to see them, unless you are one of those naturally lean and shredded people that most of us hate, is by getting your body fat below 10 percent. Ideally 8 to 10 percent should result in showing off some v cut abs.

The Program

Weight training, including abdominal and core work, is recommended. However what will determine your success truly is diet and cardio.

If you were to put this into percentages it is easily 70% diet and then 15% cardio and another 15% in weight training. People think that it is the other way around and they can get by on a sub-par diet; but you can’t, at least not if you want v cut abs.

All of the excess sugar and junk you take in everyday affects how your body stores calories along with usually leading to excess calories you then fight to keep off. For this program you want to be in fat burning mode without even hitting cardio so that when you do it is twice as effective. You still need to hit the weights because muscle is important as well.

Workouts – Aim for three full body workouts a week. Utilize a program with compound exercises only and include deadlifts, squats, and clean and presses. This type of lifting program elevates hormones and the metabolism. While you won’t be on the same growth pattern, it will maintain you and get you shredded which makes you look even bigger.

Cardio – Mix in two to three sessions of steady rate cardio of about 45 minutes to 60 minutes along with two high intensity interval training sessions of about 30 minutes each week. Stagger the workouts so you don’t do two HIIT workouts in a row.

Diet – Cut back on all sugar and processed junk. Eat five to six small meals each day (or 4 meals and 2 snacks). Include protein in every meal along with either fresh fruits or fresh veggies. Dairy like yogurt and cottage cheese are fine. But you need to focus on eliminating all the garbage, especially in the morning. Breakfast needs to be your temple to start each day right and help retrain your body to shred fat rather than store it.

Try and start with scrambled egg whites and whole cut oats topped with fruit. Instead of coffee loaded with sugar and cream go black or drink plain green tea. Skip soda and beer, replacing them with water and lots of it.

The Bottom Line

The only way to get the v cut abs is to get shredded. Diet is the big key along with a balanced workout that maintains muscle mass and burns fat effectively. Those ratios of 70/15/15 are completely accurate as plenty of people have proven that they can get ripped on diet alone.